Shivery Weather Holds On – Relief Ahead?
The Saturday edition of the ABC 33/40 Weather Xtreme Video is available in the player below, and on iTunes:
Bit of a nip in the air if you have stepped outside just about any place in Central Alabama this morning. Looks a bit frosty peeking out from my front door with temperatures ranging from the teens across the normally colder valley locations of the areas northeast of Birmingham to the lower 20s at most airport locations. Certainly one of the colder days of 2007. So bundle up if you are headed out this morning.
Unlike yesterday, I think the temperature will actually climb during the day. Yesterday we had very strong cold air advection, and temperatures across Central Alabama fell during the afternoon. Fortunately with some sun it did not feel too bad. Today the sun will help out a good deal but it will still be cold with highs only into the lower 40s – that’s about 10 degrees below what we would normally expect for early February.
And it appears that there is some relief from the cold in sight. We should stay dry but cold for the weekend and the first part of the upcoming week. A little reinforcing shot of cold air arrives late Monday and early Tuesday, but by Wednesday we begin to see some moderation in the temperatures. And we could actually see readings climb above 50 degrees by Thursday and Friday. And that’s a rare event since we’ve only seen 50-degree readings three times since January 15th.
The NAO is indicating that trend, too. The NAO goes slightly positive in about a week, so that adds some confidence to the longer range forecast that we will see some moderation to the grip winter now holds on the Southeast. Of course, that does not mean that we won’t have short duration cold spells, but it could signal the end to this persistent cold. And we are only about 46 days away from the official start to spring!! And if you missed it, Smith Lake Jake, the Birmingham Zoo’s resident groundhog prognosticator, did NOT see his shadow yesterday promising an early spring!!! Color me skeptical!! On top of what happened in Florida yesterday morning, maybe that is not such good news.
With the temperature moderation also comes a weak short wave aloft and the possibility of some light rain or showers in the Friday/early Saturday time frame. But by mid-day on Saturday, the precipitation is expected to move out of Central Alabama. As that happens, cold air returns to the southern US.
In the longer range, sometimes referred to as voodoo land, the upper air pattern continues to show a long wave trough over the eastern US but the amplitude of that trough not quite as high as what we’ve been seeing in recent days. And the next big storm threat might come on Valentine’s Day, so we’ll be watching that one.
We had a great crowd out at Shelton State Community College for the first stop on the Storm Alert Tour of 2007. The next stop will be Oneonta on Thursday, February 8th. Hope you can join us. And be sure to tune in this evening for the latest weather, news, and sports on ABC 3340 at 6 and 10 pm. Have a great weekend and God bless.
-Brian-
February 3rd, 2007 at 8:35 am
So in other words Birmingham will go yet another year without snow!! I guess James will be shocked becuse he said he would be shocked if Birmingham didn’t have several winter storm threats during this cold spell!!Oh well Bring on Spring!!
February 3rd, 2007 at 8:36 am
What type of storm are we talking about on Valentine’s? Snow?
February 3rd, 2007 at 8:57 am
Stephen… we did have a couple of threats and one good threat this last week. North Alabama got snow.
February 3rd, 2007 at 9:03 am
Link for the Sumter County Tornado from Tampa NWS Office.
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/tbw/html/tbw/TopNewsOfTheDay1.htm
February 3rd, 2007 at 9:09 am
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mlb/surveys/020207/index.html
Link to NWS Melbourne Office’s Preliminary Tornado Report.
February 3rd, 2007 at 9:51 am
Kinda cold this morning in Vigo down to 17 with bright sunshine. maybe it will warm up a little this afternoon, yesterday it looked and felt like snow all day and even saw a snow flake or 2 late in the afternoon but if ya blinked it was gone. Don’t give up hope snow fans our biggest snows come late in the winter and we have a few weeks of winter left.
Bill
February 3rd, 2007 at 10:00 am
Since almost everyone is all over this word ( that wasn’t meant to be in a smart-aleck way ), snow , when , in what months that is , has most of our big snows ( over an inch ) occured ? And just before hand how were the temps. around here ? Because, before these storms hit , almost everyone said it is way to warm for any snow to stick . In other words , I believe IF we are going to get any , it will be during March or April when we are having both types of severe wx occuring .
And I guess it is how you define a word like “threat” , but we have had threats of winter wx in the last couple of weeks . The S.E. is a rather large area of territory . I am also including TN and the Carolinas .
February 3rd, 2007 at 10:22 am
Well you guys know what usually happens when we get a taste of spring during the winter months a pretty good chance of severe weather then it turns cold again
February 3rd, 2007 at 10:34 am
Just a couple of random thoughts:
* Could at least some of the money, power, and time be borrowed from all those touting “it’s our fault” global warming, toward making sure that everyone (even those who cannot afford one) be able to own a weather radio.
These are, for the most part, totally preventable losses of life. It’s unacceptable by any standards.
* Ever notice the promo for TWC’s the climate code. It shows Dr. Heidi Cullen stepping into the picture in an obviously authoritative manner and then folding her arms. In body language, folded arms is a sign of someone who is not receptive to other ideas. The promo speaks volumes, even with the TV on mute.
February 3rd, 2007 at 10:52 am
Well I for one am not going to watch the weather channel again they just don’t have a clue.
February 3rd, 2007 at 11:09 am
Jon wrote: ” Could at least some of the money, power, and time be borrowed from all those touting “it’s our fault†global warming, toward making sure that everyone (even those who cannot afford one) be able to own a weather radio.
These are, for the most part, totally preventable losses of life. It’s unacceptable by any standards.”
In my opinion people need to be responsible for them selves. I understand, it will never happen because many folks want the government to take care of them.
98% of the people who get stuff for nothing usually don’t use it or tear it up. I am tired of government hand outs that waste our tax money.
February 3rd, 2007 at 11:46 am
Amen and Amen!!!!
February 3rd, 2007 at 11:47 am
Amen and Amen to Chuck, that is!
February 3rd, 2007 at 12:46 pm
I love the global warming alarmists…they’re such pompous, ignorant fools. The Allegheny river in Pittsburgh Pa has just completely frozen at the surface, and it’s the longest number of consecutive days with high temperatures below freezing in recent history. Hope Al Gore, the man who got rich thorugh his family’s strip mining of Tennessee and his Occidental Petroleum stock isn’t planning any presentations in that city.
February 3rd, 2007 at 3:59 pm
My prayers go out to all the tornado victims in Florida…….terrible tragedy.
February 3rd, 2007 at 4:13 pm
Chuck,
I agree with you. 98% of the people may waste the “handout” as you call it. As for the other 2%? I think their lives DO matter. Also, for the record, I didn’t call for the radios to be given away. Maybe, Chuck, the government should do a discount coupon in the envelope with their welfare check:) Then they could just tear up the coupon.
June 20th, 2007 at 12:49 pm
“Smith Lake Jake is the coolest groundhog of them all.He even does the Suzuki Man t.v. show’s, alway’s wearing a hat on his little groundhog head.I watch him predict every year, and that hat wearing groundhog hasn’t been wrong yet.
July 25th, 2007 at 1:20 pm
Smith lake Jake does not belong to the Birmingham zoo,he belongs to someone from Graysville, He makes appearances there all the time, and gives away stuffed animal’s,that wear a hat. He also comes from smith lake,or he was born there, so I heard.
July 28th, 2007 at 10:04 pm
Smith Lake Jake was crowned queen of all groundhog’s, and crowned the suzuki man king of all groundhog’s. THAT WAS THE BEST SHOW YET. What ia Smith Lake Jake anyway, a male or female groundhog?
January 22nd, 2009 at 2:09 pm
Smith Lake Jake is the worlds 2nd most famous groundhog. He is adorable in his little smith lake jake hat. He is the southern predictor.